Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.
24 Jul 2025 | |
Written by Robin Knight | |
Obituaries |
Tim Lee (1951-53), a retired Captain in the Royal Navy, died on 2nd July 2025 aged 88. He had
been suffering from cancer and Alzheimer’s disease and since 2023 had been living in a
retirement village near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He is survived by his wife Sue, two sons
Peter and Simon and five grandchildren.
At the Nautical College, Tim was a cadet in Harbinger Division. In October 1952 he passed
the exam to enter the Royal Navy and left the NCP at the end of Lent term 1953 for BRNC
Dartmouth. For the next 38 years he served in a variety of roles in the RN and described
himself both as a submariner and a navigation specialist. As such, in 1966 he navigated the
Griffin, a 44-foot cutter, on a 4,000-mile expedition funded by The Guardian newspaper to
recreate the first Norse colonizing voyages of Leif Erikson to Vinland (probably
Newfoundland) in the early 11th century.
More conventionally, in the RN Tim was Navigating Officer in two frigates, the hunter killer
submarine HMS Valiant, and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. His only seagoing
command was in the Type 21 frigate HMS Gurkha in 1975-76. This included a two-month
involvement in the 3rd Iceland Cod War protecting the British fishing fleet from Icelandic
gunboats – a conflict he regarded as both avoidable and not in the UK’s long-term interest.
A number of important shore jobs followed over the next 15 years. Among them were a
posting to the Ministry of Defence in London 1983-84 with responsibility for gathering
intelligence about the Soviet navy, a five months’ spell as Senior Naval Officer Falklands
Islands 1984-85, and a posting as Deputy Commandant of the Joint Service Defence College
at Greenwich. A final RN job was at RNAS Yeovilton where he served as Director of a
NATO Maritime Electronic Warfare Group. He retired from the RN in June 1991.
Eight years before this, in 1983, he and Sue had bought an old schoolhouse in the village of
Stalbridge on the Dorset-Somerset boundary. The couple were to live there for 40 years. Prior
to leaving the Services, Tim had taken a resettlement course on capital fundraising. This he
put to good use in Dorset, helping to raise funds for Help the Aged, two hospices in the Poole
and Weymouth areas, the sail training ship Astrid and the local Scout troop in Stalbridge. This
involvement with the Scouts led on to chairmanship of the North Dorset Scout District. A
longtime lover of opera, in 1997 he also became chairman and principal fund-raiser for
Dorset Opera. Another “retirement” commitment involved him leading a successful
campaign in the 2000s to prevent 13 local libraries from being closed by the county council.
A keen golfer, Tim was a stalwart and popular member of the OP Golf Society renowned for
his storytelling at the 19th. Other pastimes included fly fishing and photography. Throughout
his life, and in the many roles he undertook, he was respected for his hard work, confident
personality and cheerfulness. A news item posted on a website in Dorset summed Tim up
well, describing him as “a larger-than-life character who embraced life with enthusiasm,
drive and charm.”
You are warmly welcomed to leave a message below, share your memories and celebrate the life of Nick Bomford (1961 - 64) former staff member, who we sadly lost in 2025. More...
You are warmly welcomed to leave a message below, share your memories and celebrate the life of Strachan McDonald (1956 … More...
You are warmly welcomed to leave a message below, share your memories and celebrate the life of Geoffrey Earle (1957-61)… More...
You are warmly welcomed to leave a message below, share your memories and celebrate the life of Michael Fulford-Dobson (… More...
You are warmly welcomed to leave a message below, share your memories and celebrate the life of Richard Hughes Young (19… More...
You are warmly welcomed to leave a message below, share your memories and celebrate the life of Tom Spencer (61 - 66) who we sadly lost in 2023. More...
It's with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mrs Charlotte Bamforth, a much loved former staff member and highly valued member of the Pangb… More...
On Thursday 3 July, during a gloriously sunny afternoon, guests from across the entire College community joined members of our past Henley winning cr… More...